The Shorts

Season 2, Episode 12: “Clogged” 12/12/14Starring: Minnie MouseA Special Appearance By: Donald Duck and Figaro (?)Setting: Amsterdam, NetherlandsPlot: Minnie attempts to power her windmill in order to save her dying flower.

Short Stuff:The second “Minnie” short after Eau de Minnie.The first short in the new Mickey Mouse series sans Mickey Mouse.This is the third episode inspired by the art of Mary Blair after Yodelberg and ‘O Sole Minnie.With its setting in the Netherlands, this is the seventh destination short.All the dialogue is spoken in Dutch.Minnie can be heard singing famed Dutch song “Tulpen uit Amsterdam” (Tulips in Amsterdam) while riding her bike.Minnie is wearing a Dutch cap bicycle helmet over her Dutch cap.Is there any significance to the three bicyclists?The lead horse kinda looks like Don Quixote and he did have his famous row “tilting at windmills”…Was that Figaro who blew past Donald or just some generic black cat?Hard to say…

Final Grade: B-The nod to Mary Blair and the Dutch setting are the only saving graces with this episode.I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I still don’t understand how Minnie (who never even had her own classic Disney short) has received one, much less two (!), while Donald, Goofy and Pluto have nary one between them.However, Donald’s brief appearance is hopefully a sign of things to come.I’d much rather see a character we know in these short appearances rather than just some random anthropomorphic pig or goat we’ve never seen before.Disney has a deep bench – use it!